There's been many football competitions whose sole destiny was to end up in obscure pub quiz questions.

The likes of The Watney Cup, Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy, Texaco Cup and the Screen Sport Super Cup, which were greeted with as much warmth as Andy Townsend’s Tactics Truck.

My favourite waste of space was the third-fourth place FA Cup play-offs in the early-1970s which the Suits thought would be a big pre-Cup Final money-spinner.

A mate went to watch Everton play Stoke at Selhurst Park on the eve of the 1971 final, along with 5,030 other fans, and said he felt like he’d strayed into an Agoraphobics Anonymous meeting.

England lost their Nations League debut last month at home to Spain (Image: Getty)

Now they face Croatia, three months on from that World Cup semi meeting (Image: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Anyone making it into the 8,300 capacity Stadion HNK Rijeka when Croatia play England on Friday night in the UEFA Nations League might be feeling the same, due to Croatia’s fans being banned, England’s being told not to travel and it being effectively a trumped-up friendly version of a World Cup semi-final that’s still fresh in the memory.

I’m sure if Jurgen Klopp is watching at home it will only confirm his view that the season is being needlessly interrupted, for the second time in a month, by “the most senseless competition in world football.”

It does make sense to some people.

Small nations like San Marino get the chance to play teams at their level and avoid thrashings.

Countries like Scotland are thrown an extra, if highly convoluted, lifeline to the Euros play-offs and it lets national managers feel they’re earning their crust.

Klopp labelled the Nations League "the most senseless competition in world football" (Image: SIPA USA via PA Images)

UEFA say they introduced it to eliminate “meaningless international friendlies.”

But these games still feel like friendlies, as there’s no downside to defeat. So where’s the justification in taking up three fortnightly blocks of the season’s autumn fixtures so soon after a long World Cup?

It’s been 90 days since England played in Russia, 89 for Croatia.

During that short time, many of those players will have played in five competitions – the World Cup, domestic league, European competition, domestic cup and Nations League. And will have had only two to three weeks holiday to recover from a ten-month season.

Any wonder many are struggling for form?

Any wonder managers fear for their health?

This money-grabbing folly is putting even greater strain on elite players such as Kane (Image: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Many England-based players will be playing twice a week, without a winter break, until May — or June, if they reach the Champions League Final.

Then, if their country has done well in the Nations League, they’ll have another mini-tournament next summer to sort out who wins it, before pre-season tours, a new club season and then straight into UEFA’s Euros qualifiers, before the finals the following summer.

The question is, who is this competition for, outside the smaller nations and the few individuals who prefer internationals to club football?

The majority of fans, players and managers would rather be getting on with their club season and will spend this fortnight sweating on news of injuries — a risk that has been increased because, as Klopp points out, national managers can now ignore a club’s pleas to rest a player on the grounds they have a competitive game to win.

The only people it really makes sense to are UEFA, who can offer a stronger defence for dragging players way from their clubs, and the national federations who can strike more lucrative TV deals.

But there’s only so many competitive games players can be asked to play before serious injuries start happening.

How long before the top clubs collectively flex their muscles and refuse to release their players on the grounds they’re unduly risking employees whose health is potentially worth tens of millions a season to them?

Klopp was right to describe UEFA’s latest money-grabbing folly as the most senseless competition in current world football.

It’s just a shame he didn’t have enough historical knowledge to complete the put-down by calling it The European Texaco Cup.